HoR session put off as NCP fails to pick consensus candidate for Speaker

KATHMANDU: The meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for today has been postponed by pasting a notice.

The next meeting of the HoR has been scheduled for January 1, 2020, at 1 pm.

Meanwhile, senior leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) are still striving to forge consensus on the candidate for the post of Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Party sources had earlier claimed that the party had ‘almost decided’ on the issue. Moreover, Deputy Speaker Shiva Maya Tumbahamphe, who was expected to tender her resignation on Friday, is yet to do so.

According to Article 91 (2), Article 92 (2), and Article 182 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Federal Parliament, as well as Provincial Assemblies, should be from different parties.

Therefore, this has created a legal problem, according to NCP Chief Whip Dev Gurung.

It was also assumed that Deputy Speaker Tumbahamphe would resign from the post today to pave the way for electing a new Speaker of the HoR. The election process will begin once Deputy Speaker Tumbahamphe steps down from her post.

However, chances of her resignation seem slim since she has been insisting that she should be appointed as the Minister of Law. “So far my knowledge is concerned, Deputy Speaker Tumbahamphe will not resign unless she is assured of the ministerial portfolio,” Gurung told Khabarhub.

The NCP top brass has failed to finalize the name of the Speaker as both the former CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) have claimed stake for the post.

While Prime Minister KP Oli has been insisting on making former Speaker Subash Chandra Nembang, NCP Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has remained adamant on the name of Agni Sapkota.

The post of the Speaker has been lying vacant after the then Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara stepped down following a rape allegation by a federal parliament secretariat staff.